A knitter in the prime of life who knits to network TV

January 25, 2010

In a Fix

I wore my purple sweater just three times before I noticed
this on the sleeve:

I don’t think moths are to blame for this hole.It is more likely that I caught the
sleeve on something and snagged the yarn.I shouldn’t have worn the sweater to the gym, but it was so cold a few
weeks ago and this sweater, knit from 17 balls of Aurora 8, is so warm, that I
couldn’t resist the allure of the sweater’s cozy feeling.I think it might have torn on the
locker hinge.

And, much saddened and tremendously annoyed at myself for
being so careless, I thought for a couple of weeks about how best to fix it.The hole was just about 12 rows from
the bottom of the cuff.The
darning method would never make the knitting as good as if it were reknit
completely.So I decided to take
off the cuff just over the hole, knit a new cuff from the ample amounts of
left-over yarn I have, and graft the new cuff to the sleeve.

In principle this seems so straightforward that a child
could do it.Well, perhaps a child
can, but I struggled with it all weekend.I am not gifted when it comes to grafting.It took me hours to close the toe of the first sock I ever
knit, and it has taken many socks since then to become confident that I can
graft stockinette.I found this
excellent description of grafting 2x2 ribbing, but I found the schematic in Mary Thomas’s Knitting Book to be easier to follow. This is one of my oldest books on techniques, and it is
still one of the best.(If it isn’t
in your knitting library, I encourage you to add it.)

So I proceeded to take off the old cuff and knit a
replacement.

Purple is only a smidgen easier to work with than black, and I
thought that I’d use contrast yarn first and then go over it, as if it were
basting, with the actual purple yarn—to preserve what is left of my eyesight.Here is where I am now:

When I examined it this morning, I found some
mistakes that need to be fixed.I
understand what to do, and I’m vacillating between trying again and just going
for it with the actual yarn.My
problems arise with the stitches that connect the knit parts of the ribbing
with the columns of purl.I do
think I get it now, but my track record with grafting is a sorry one.So this will sit for another week,
awaiting a sunny weekend morning, as I decide whether I need more practice or
whether I can follow most of the basted stitches and correct those that aren’t
right.

On a happier note, I have been progressing nicely on
Laela.

The stockinette part is easy enough to barrel through while
actually watching (and not merely listening to) TV.I should probably complete the body while watching my
recorded episode of “24” tomorrow night. Then it will be on to each
sleeve.I can’t wait to get to the yoke.

I also fiddled with the chart, yet again, on Sirdal to
improve the location of the motifs.But more on that in my next post, when I have a complete motif to
photograph.

I, too, know what you mean about setting the problem aside. My
Sirdal is taking a rest as well as my brain! I think I should tackle one of the Lopi-Lite patterns like you are knitting now. I
have no issues with those patterns! Yours looks lovely.

Laela is looking lovely! It is always nice to have a happy project to work on while contemplating a challenge. I know you'll get the cuff right: you are too persistent not to get it the way you want it. I've taken at least three sweaters apart across the midsection after they've been knit in order to fix something and had "fun" grafting them back together again. In fact, I'm contemplating a new grafting project that will create trapezoid shaped pieces to fill in the notches on the hem of the Berroco Wakame pattern. I've decided I want an even hem rather than a staggered one, but I'm not willing to reknit the whole thing!

I confess that the one time I grafted ribbing, I turned the work every 2 stitches so the stockinette was facing me. Tedious, but that's what the pattern suggested, and it worked. I'm sure you'll get yours right in time--you're almost there.
Laela looks good.